Coombe Hill Canal Walk

2.6 miles (4.2 km)

This walk follows the old Coome Hill Canal from the Gloucestershire village of Coombe Hill. Starting in the village you head west to pick up the footpath along the now disused canal.... The path runs for 2.6 miles, passing a nature reserve and Cobney Meadows before linking up with the River Severn south of Apperley. Here you can pick up the Severn Way to continue your waterside walking.
Opened in 1796, the Coombe Hill Canal was built to link the River Severn with Coombe Hill, allowing coal and other goods to be transported inland to serve the surrounding villages and the growing town of Cheltenham. Although the canal was only a short branch, it played an important role in the local economy until flood damage and competition from the railways led to its closure during the nineteenth century. Today, much of the canal survives as a peaceful green corridor, with the line of the waterway, old bridges and sections of the towpath still visible.
The route passes through the Coombe Hill Canal Nature Reserve, where the restored canal, reedbeds, wet grassland and woodland provide valuable habitat for a wide variety of wildlife. The reserve is particularly well known for its dragonflies and damselflies, while kingfishers, herons, warblers and numerous wetland birds can often be seen along the water's edge. Cobney Meadows adds further areas of species-rich grassland and floodplain beside the River Severn.
The walk finishes at the junction with the River Severn, where expansive views open across one of Britain's longest rivers and its surrounding floodplain. This quiet riverside location provides access to the Severn Way, allowing walkers to continue north towards Tewkesbury or south towards Gloucester while exploring one of the country's most important river landscapes.